


those we call friends lend strength to our backbones

by aletterinthenameofsanity



Series: hold my hand (i can hear the ghost calling) [11]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Bonding, Fluff, M/M, Superfamily, Swearing, Team as Family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-11
Updated: 2018-01-11
Packaged: 2019-03-03 15:21:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 960
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13344006
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aletterinthenameofsanity/pseuds/aletterinthenameofsanity
Summary: After Steve Rogers disappears, they realize that they’ll probably need a new Avenger. Or, at least, a Defender of New York so that Sam can join Tony and the rest of the Avengers on missions.-Originally, it was Steve Rogers, but just briefly enough that history didn't classify him by the title until far after the fact.Then, after a long break, it became Tony Stark, better known as Iron Man. He patrolled the skies, taking down villains and protecting New York from destruction. For two years he protected New York from its enemies, striking down both weapons and wits, up until the moment the Avengers was formed.Then it became Falcon’s job. The only really domestically based Avenger, Lt. Sam Wilson is a patriotic man who already fought for the Army. The perfect face for New York, Sam defended New York with a single-minded determination and discipline that leaves people shocked.Then comes Spider-Man as the fourth Defender of New York, and Peter Parker as the newest member of Avengers Tower.





	those we call friends lend strength to our backbones

**Author's Note:**

> Title is from "Shine" by Shane Koyczan.
> 
> In which I realized I forgot to include the scene exposing the whole “Defenders of New York” running thing, and it spawned a fic

After Steve Rogers disappears, they realize that they’ll probably need a new Avenger. Or, at least, a Defender of New York so that Sam can join Tony and the rest of the Avengers on missions.

-

Originally, it was Steve Rogers, but just briefly enough that history didn't classify him by the title until far after the fact.

Then, after a long break, it became Tony Stark, better known as Iron Man. He patrolled the skies, taking down villains and protecting New York from destruction. For two years he protected New York from its enemies, striking down both weapons and wits, up until the moment the Avengers was formed.

Then it became Falcon’s job. The only really domestically based Avenger, Lt. Sam Wilson is a patriotic man who already fought for the Army. The perfect face for New York, Sam defended New York with a single-minded determination and discipline that leaves people shocked.

(New York cheers when Falcon reveals himself to be not only black, but also gay. He is bringing inspiration to a generation of kids who couldn’t see themselves to be _right_ , much less heroic.

This is one of Sam’s greatest accomplishments.)

Then comes Spider-Man as the fourth Defender of New York, and Peter Parker as the newest member of Avengers Tower.

-

“I know that look,” Sam says as Tony walks into the gym, a couple of months after Steve leaves. Tony’s dressed up in a suit, which isn’t that strange save when you take into consideration the fact that Tony is supposed to be in the lab right now. “You've gone and done something, haven’t you?”

Tony winces. “I may have pseudo-adopted a kid,” he says.

Sam blinks and then shrugs. “Not the weirdest possible thing you could have said. Alright, let's me him. I _am_ their pseudo-stepfather, or uncle, or whatever the hell you're referring to yourself as.”

“Alright. He’s coming by the tower tomorrow.”

“Good,” Sam says, and goes back to breaking in his bionic leg. “Anything else?”

“And he may be the next Avenger,” Tony admits.

Sam stops in the middle of his lunge. “He’s how old?”

“Seventeen?”

Sam purses his lips. He _would_ complain about how young the kid is, but nearly all of the Avengers started out young. Clint ran away from home at sixteen. Natasha was made an assassin at ten. Tony entered college at fourteen; Sam joined the Army at eighteen. Thor’s a fucking _god_ and Wanda and Pietro are just nineteen themselves.

“Alright,” Sam says, “But bring him by tomorrow. Uncle Sam’s gonna say hi.”

Tony smirks, then leans forward and plants a kiss on Sam’s cheek. “Knew you’d say yes.”

-

“Hey, kid,” Sam says, opening the door for Peter Parker. The kid looks anxious to be here, his posture uncertain, but his eyes gleam with that curiosity Tony’s does. Sam nearly sighs. _Oh dear, not another one._ “Come on in- he’s in the lab.”

The kid stays where he is, however, and sticks out a hand to shake. “Peter Parker,” he says, “You must be Lt. Sam Wilson. Dr. Stark’s told me all about you.”

Sam grins and shakes the kid’s hand. “Did he really?”

Peter nods. “He says you’re the coolest superhero he’s ever met, even including, and I quote, ‘his dazzling self.’”

Sam snorts. That’s Tony for you. “Yeah, I’m Sam Wilson. Nice to meet you, Peter.”

“Nice to meet you, Lieutenant,” the kid says, then slips through and to the lab.

 _This’ll be fun_ , Sam thinks as he shuts the door behind him.

-

Peter Parker thinks that Tony Stark-Wilson is the coolest fucking person to ever live.

(Sam thinks this is both amusing but also pretty accurate.)

-

Peter Parker swings by (oh, fuck off, Tony can use as many puns as he wants) the Tower about once a week, usually on Saturdays. He spends Saturdays holed up in the lab with Tony and Sundays in the gym and the kitchen, training both his fighting and cooking skills.

Peter adores them both: the nerd-psuedo-Uncle who becomes a mentor and lab partner, and the good-humored soldier who takes him under his wing (no pun intended) and teaches him both how to fight and how to cook.

(To be honest, all of the Avengers kind of become mentors to Peter. He’s the newbie, a teenager who they all kind of feel protective over. He may be a superhero, but he’s only been one for a few months at most. They have decades and in some cases even centuries on him.)

-

When Falcon flies with the Avengers, Spiderman swings through New York, taking down the villain who seek to take over or destroy the city. Spiderman tends to follow more of an Iron Man route- wisecracking, joking, making obscure references- with villains than Falcon did, but New York loves them both.

-

“I think you made a good choice, making him a superhero,” Sam says as they watch the news in a pub in Cardiff, Wales. Footage of Spiderman making his way across the New York skyline flashes across the screen, complete with high-quality stock footage of Avengers Tower. (Though the fight took place _nowhere near_ Avengers Tower.)

“I think _you_ made a good choice, training him,” Tony says, taking a swig of his beer.

Sam rolls his eyes. “I only did that to keep an eye on him. He has the same forgetting-to-eat-because-science-is-just-so-fucking-cool thing that you do.”

Tony bats his eyelashes at his husband. “You love it.”

Sam smiles fondly at Tony. “That I do.”

-

And then Sam, Laura, and Peter get sucked into an alternate universe, where everything is a musical, and  _Tony and Natasha like each other_ -

Spiderman's not the newest or shiniest thing in the room anymore.

(Life’s about to get pretty crazy, and that’s saying something.)


End file.
